Dodge cars

2012 Dodge Charger Juiced

Have you ever wondered how much power a Dodge Charger can really deliver? Well, it’s definitely not the 292 HP in the standard V6 engine or the 370 HP provided by the muscle car’s current V8 engine. At the 2012 SEMA Auto Show, Mopar is going to show us just how much juice can be pumped from the Charger with a tuning package of their own.

Technically, Mopar cheated in the sense that they stripped the Charger of its engine and threw in a Viper V-10 Mopar crate engine featuring Mopar cold air intakes and a Mopar cat-back exhaust. This engine delivers an impressive 650 HP, but also tones down the emissions to remain eco-friendly.

The rest of the package consists of some exterior and interior updates, starting with a new front chin spoiler, a new hood with functional forward-facing intake, and a roof carry. The hood and decklid feature matte black graphics, while the cool Metallic "Copperhead" exterior paint is combined with matte black on the grille badge and the exclusive 20" lightweight wheels.

For the interior, Mopar has added black Katzkin leather seats with "Copperhead" stitching, which also transfers to the steering wheel, shifter, and armrest. The "Copperhead" logo is also embroidered on the seatbacks.

1965 Dodge D200 Crew Cab by ICON

With SEMA barely a month away from opening its doors, it’s a safe bet that a lot of project vehicles are being finished in time for their SEMA debuts.

In 2011, ICON was in attendance at SEMA with a customized Bronco, a creation that certainly drew its fair share of attention. This year, ICON will return to SEMA with another glorious - and classic - project vehicle.

This one is based on the 1965 Dodge D200 crew cab, a vehicle that spent most of its life as a military machine. Rest assured, we expect great things from ICON and the early release of details suggest the same thing.

The body, for one, has been painted in a white body finish with black accents and wheels. Meanwhile, the interior has been dressed in a free-range bison leather with a matching high-end stereo system. Under its hood, the D200 will comes with a new chassis that was taken from the Ram 3500 and has been fitted with a 4.5" suspension lift kit. Powering the ICON-tuned D200 is expected to be a 5.9-liter Banks-modified Cummins turbo diesel, inline-six engine that carries 975 lb/ft of torque. Yeah, that’s enough torque to pull some serious weight.

2013 Dodge Dart Aero

Dodge really has a lot invested in the Dart compact car. So much so, in fact, that they’re releasing a new trim for the model, one they’re proud to announce as the most fuel efficient model in the Dart sedan’s range.

The trim is called the Dart Aero and it’s powered by a 1.4-liter MultiAir turbocharged inline-four engine that produces 160 horsepower and 184 lb/ft of torque. With these numbers in tow, Dodge proclaims the Dart Aero to return 41 mpg on the highway when it’s mated to a six-speed manual transmission and 40 mpg when it carries a six-speed Dual Dry Clutch Transmission.

As far as trim features are concerned, the Dart Aero comes with auto headlamps, projector headlamps and LED ‘racetrack’ tail lamps, power mirrors, remote keyless entry, cruise control, and electronic stability control.

Inside, the Dart Aero carries a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, air conditioning with micron filter, power windows and locks, and an 8.4" touchscreen media center and 7" TFT reconfigurable gauge cluster as added options.

Reid Bigland, CEO of the Dodge brand, explained the merits of the Dart Aero. "The all-new Dodge Dart is a groundbreaking vehicle, offering features and benefits never before offered in a compact car," he said

"The new Dart Aero builds on these attributes by combining a remarkable 41mpg with interior room of a mid-size car and class-leading technology, style and safety, for only $19,295."

2013 Ram Heavy Duty

The history of the Dodge Ram began back in 1981 when the original model was launched onto the market. Since then, many things have changed, with the Heavy Duty version to be unveiled in 2009. And now, for the 2013 model year the new Ram Heavy Duty has been updated with an all-new interior, next-generation Uconnect Access, Powernet, new frames and new suspension.

2013 model year also marks the debut of the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 engine as standard equipment. It delivers a total of 383 HP and a peak torque of 400 lbs-ft and is mated to a 66RFE six-speed automatic transmission. Next to it the renowned 6.7-liter Cummins High-Output Turbo Diesel I-6 is now available in three versions: 350 HP, 370 HP and 385 HP.

The 2013 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty will go on sale in the first quarter of 2013.

Hit the jump to read more about the new 2013 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty.

Design the SRT Viper of your dreams with 150,000 combinations

Let’s imagine you are one of those lucky people that have the extra $100K in your pocket and wants to buy the new 2013 SRT Viper. Now that you have the money, $97,395 for the SRT Viper and $120,395 for the SRT Viper GT, the next step would be to configure the sports car of your dreams. According to SRT, that shouldn’t be a problem because the new Viper comes with no less than 150,000 possible combinations, including colors and stripes, interior options, stereo choices, and wheel designs.

The standard Viper is offered with a choice of six exterior colors - Adrenaline Red, Black Venom, Bright White, Gunmetal Pearl ($1,000), Race Yellow ($1,000), and Shadow Blue Pearl ($1,000) - while the GTS adds two more- Stryker Red Tinted Pearl and GTS Blue ($1,000). These exterior colors can be combined with different racing stripes - Billet Silver, Black Venom, and Gunmetal - each priced at $4,500 for the standard Viper and at $5,000 for the GTS. Next, we have eight wheel options with prices ranging from $500 to $1,100.

For the interior, there are three different audio systems, the most expensive being the 18-speaker Harman Kardon premium audio system priced at $2,995. The seats can be covered with premium ballistic nylon, Nappa leather with Alcantara inserts, and the first application of Laguna Premium leather in an SRT. That will add another $3,000 to your car’s price.

There are also four packages to choose from: the Track Package priced at $3,500, the Grand Touring Package at $2,500, the GTS Laguna Interior Package at 7,500, and GTS Launch Edition Package price at $15,500.

That being said, all you need is patience, lots of money, and good luck to customize the Viper of your dreams!

Mopar teases its line-up for SEMA

If you want to take a break from all the Paris Auto Show-related news, check out some of the new details we dug up on the next big auto show of the year: SEMA. Mopar has unveiled a series of teaser images for their upcoming line-up, which will be presented in Las Vegas from Tuesday, October 30, 2012, to Friday, November 2, 2012. These images only show five different vehicles, but the company has promised that more than 20 Moparized Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat, and SRT vehicles will be at the show.

The teaser images show a widebody Fiat 500, a custom RAM pickup, an updated Dodge Charger, a heavily modified Jeep, and - our favorite - a very nicely updated Dodge Dart. With its growing list of Mopar-first features, including Electronic Vehicle Tracking Systems (EVTS), Wireless charging, Vehicle-information apps, and Electronic owner manuals, we’re psyched to see what Chrysler’s service, parts, and customer-care brand has to offer at this year’s SEMA Auto Show.

"At Mopar, we always look forward to the SEMA season," said Pietro Gorlier, President and CEO of Mopar, Chrysler Group LLC’s service, parts and customer-care brand. "The show is an opportunity for us to inspire owners to customize their vehicles, and it’s the perfect place to showcase our vast portfolio of quality-tested performance parts and accessories."

2013 Dodge Dart iHeart

International recording artist and Mr. Worldwide, Pitbull, recently put his design hat on to customize a 2013 Dodge Dart which was part of a sweepstakes at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas.

The car, called the Dodge Dart iHeart, received Pitbull’s full design touches, which as you might expect, centered on his own style. You know the classic Pitbull ensemble, right? Tailored suit, classic sunglasses, and the contrasting pin stripes; the Dart iHeart was designed to be an extension of Pitbull’s top level swag.

The Dart iHeart is highlighted by a high contrast matte white exterior and black roof, a custom set of 18" liquid graphite aluminum wheels, a black and pear white leather and suede interior, the addition of a new hood scoop and rear spoiler, and the artful use of metals that not only evoke Pitbull’s classic style, but also add a dose of mystery to the compact sedan.

So who took home the Dodge Dart iHeart? A man named Jack Walters from New York, who personally took the keys to his brand new, one-off ride from the hands of Pitbull himself.

Jack Walters is a lucky man.

Dealers Paying $25K in Fees To Sell the SRT Viper

The SRT Viper is one of the hottest models on the tip of all of our tongues and we are all excited to see it hit showrooms in November. We have seen many weird things, however, when it comes to its official release. In a report, we learned that only about 15 to 20 percent of all Chrysler dealerships will “earn” the right to sell it by having their entire team trained on the car, among other odd qualifiers.

Well, we have finally found out exactly what this all boils down to for dealerships. The “training” program that Chrysler is making dealerships put their employees through will run the dealers a whopping $5,000 to have completed. Following that, the dealership still has to pay an additional $20,000 just for the right to sell the Viper, given the dealership meets all of the customer service criteria.

That brings the grand total to sell the viper to $25,000, or roughly one-quarter of the price for one base model SRT Viper. We are all for Chrysler wanting to get this release right, but to gouge your dealers like that is simply inexcusable. Regardless of how much money you may think dealerships make, keep in mind that the average new car sale nets the dealer less than $2,000 in profit.

That would mean that a dealership would have to sell roughly 10 to 15 SRT Vipers (at the average profit number) to break even on bringing the damn thing into the showroom. I worked at a high-volume Dodge dealer and allow me to tell you that the two Vipers we had on the showroom floor never left their spot on the floor – even for a test drive – in the year I worked there.

Chrysler is likely making far more profit on the SRT Viper than the dealers will and it needs to step up and provide these cars at a lower rate than $25K. The $5,000 training fee is understandable, but $20K just to “earn” the right to have it grace your dealership’s lot… Yeah, we feel a collective “Screw You Chrysler” coming from the majority of dealerships.

2013 Dodge Dart GTS Tribute

According to a flier obtained by Dodge Dart Forum, there is another new Dart on its way and will be getting here just about the same time as the R/T model, which is running a little later according to our watch. This model is the Dodge Dart GTS Tribute. The details are still scarce on this model, but the flier gives us a little bit of information.

It’s going to start with a basic 2013 Dodge Dart R/T and its 184-horsepower, 2.4-liter Tigershark 4-cylinder engine with the 18-inch R/T forged chrome wheels. From there, Dodge will slap on a load of Mopar accessories. On the outside these accessories include a black aluminum hood with an appearance intake (AKA a fake hood scoop), matte black chin spoiler, matte black side sills, matte black rear air diffuser, matte black rear spoiler and a carbon-fiber roof graphic (AKA a sticker that looks like carbon fiber).

The interior gets a wide array of upgrades, including: ceramic white floating island bezel – the bezel around the instrument cluster and radio – with a gloss black cluster trim and ruby-red LED. Also donning a coating of pearl white is the 360 handle finisher, climate-control knobs, chin bezel, shifter bezel and cup holder bezel. The steering wheel will boast white and black, and will have a gloss black bezel. The door armrests will be black with pearl white accent stitching and it will also feature brightwork covers on the pedals.

The Dart GTS Tribute also receives Katzkin leather seating with pearl white accents, premium carpeted floor mats, black center console with pearl white stitching, and finally a black Alcantara-wrapped cluster brow with pearl white accent stitching.

Oh, and the exterior will don a coat of, you guessed it, red paint… Kidding, of course, it’s pearl white just like all of the little accents throughout the car. From what we can tell, there are no mechanical upgrades to the Dart R/T, but we won’t know for sure until the official unveiling takes place. Stay tuned for more about the Dart GTS Tribute.

*Note: the black fingernails are not mine, nor are they part of the GTS Tribute Package

2014 Dodge Challenger

Lately it seems like the upcoming Barracuda is taking all of Dodge’s limelight, but we have been missing the fact that the Challenger is coming up on its fifth year in its current body design and is due for a redesign. There have been rumors swirling that the next-gen Challenger could hit showrooms as early as 2014, as either an early-2015 or late-2014 model. What we are still uncertain of is what exactly will change with this redesign.

Rumors began in the Challenger enthusiast world that Dodge would move its full-size coupe to a more compact chassis to help it better handle the likes of the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro. According to a report from Automobile Magazine, the Challenger will continue to share its “DNA” with its 300 and Charger brethren. This leads to either the Challenger remaining a hefty vehicle – much to the chagrin of enthusiasts – or Chrysler completely revamping the chassis that the 300, Challenger, and Charger sit atop. The latter is very unlikely.

What we’ll likely see is a slight revision to the body and lighting, just to give it a new look, and some weight-loss measures. Things like aluminum panels, thinner metals, lighter rims, and so on, will help get the Challenger’s heft in check and maybe make it a more manageable car.

Under the hood, you can expect little change, with the exception of the elimination of the 6.4-liter SRT8 model, as the Pentastar V-6 engine is a serviceable engine relative to the Camaro and Mustang V-6 engines, and the Hemi V-8 lineup is as stout as ever, though it could use some tweaking in the efficiency area with the new CAFÉ standards being passed.

The row-your-own-gears option is a no go on the 2012 model, but with all of the outcry from V-6 buyers wanting a manual option, Dodge will likely comply in the next generation. As for the V-8 models’ transmission, look out for an 8-speed variant with paddle shifters. A dual-clutch system would be nice, but it’s highly unlikely.

For now, we simply have to wait and see. We will update this review as more information becomes available on the next-gen Challenger.